A computer network is a collection of interconnected computing devices that can exchange data and share resources. In a packet-based network, such as an Ethernet network, the computing devices communicate data by dividing the data into small blocks called packets, which are individually routed across the network from a source device to a destination device. A variety of intermediate devices operate to route the packets between the computing devices. For example, a computer network may include routers, switches, gateways, firewalls, and a variety of other devices to provide and facilitate network communication.
Often, in highly populated areas, the computer network includes links laid in the shape of a ring. When shaped in a ring, the network is referred to as a “ring network.” A ring network in a highly populated area that implements a Layer Two (L2) Ethernet communications protocol may be referred to as a “metro Ethernet network.” In a typical configuration, a metro Ethernet network includes a plurality of interconnected metro termination units (MTUs) that provide access to the metro Ethernet network for computing devices referred to as customer subscriber devices. The computing devices couple to the MTUs to gain access to the metro Ethernet network and thereby interconnect with other computing devices coupled to the metro Ethernet network.
The metro Ethernet network may implement Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) protocols as well as the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) for monitoring and managing the metro Ethernet network. The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a standard defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for managing network devices. SNMP uses a design that incorporates one or more management information bases (MIBs) within a managed device to describe and expose internal data elements of the managed device.
The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) defines a performance monitoring MIB that is used to manage Service OAM implementations. When monitoring performance of a particular network device within the metro Ethernet network, the network device may be configured to send notifications to an element management system (EMS) in response to determining that certain performance parameters have not been met (e.g., that a performance threshold has been exceeded). Once the performance parameter drops below the threshold, the network device may notify the EMS that the performance parameter of the network device has once again been met.